Because in the U.S., mint has struggled to land on the dinner table. We tend to associate it with sweets (after all, it does pair nicely with chocolate) and breath mints.

But elsewhere in the world, especially North Africa, the Middle East and Asia, mint is used to lend a crisp, almost peppery contrast to savory dishes, especially fatty ones (think lamb with mint sauce).

First, the basics.

You’ll find mint sold with the other herbs in the produce section, often in large bunches that you’ll never manage to entirely use. No worries — it’s cheap.

Most of the mint sold in American grocery stores is spearmint or peppermint, just two of the many varieties (that grow like weeds) available. It should have a mix of large and small leaves that are bright green and firm.

When you get the mint home, give it a good wash in cold water, then snip off the bottoms of the stems. You can prolong its life — sometimes by weeks — if you stand the stems upright in a glass of water and refrigerate.

And be prepared for a minty-fresh refrigerator. Mint is as aromatic as it is flavorful (handy since we tend to taste with our snouts as much as our tongues). But that also means you’ll want to go easy with it to avoid overpowering other flavors in your dish.

Mint loves vegetables, cooked and raw (it’s key to the flavor of Vietnamese spring rolls, for example). It also goes well with roasted poultry and pork, and helps cut through assertive cheeses, such as feta.

And here’s a fun fact: Supposedly adding a fresh mint leaf to milk will prevent it from curdling. And for that same reason, the milk from cows that have grazed on mint can’t be used to make cheese. Or so I’m told.

So once you’ve dragged your cows out of the mint patch, here’s what to do with this seriously fragrant herb.